Letter or bill file.



No. 794,237. 7 PATENTED JULY 11, 1905. T. P. LOBLAW.

LETTER OR BILL FILE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1904.

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,5 f ark/ f W AQ/M/ UNTTED STATES Patented July 11, 1905.

PATENT OEErcE.

.LETTER OR BILL FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,237, dated Ju y 11, 1905.

Application filed May 25,1904. Serial No. 209,815.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THEODORE PRINGLE LoB- LAW, of the city of Toronto, in the county of York and Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter or Bill Files; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to a letter or bill file to be used for holdinga series of letter-sheets or bills alternately arranged with their duplicates or copy-sheets, in which the entries on the originals are recorded by means of a transfer-sheet upon the duplicates, and it relates more particularly to the clamping means arranged to hold such original and duplicate sheets firmly in position during the recording of the entries without interfering therewith and which is so arranged as to be moved into a position which will then readily allow of the original and duplicates being removed when such entries have been made; and the object of this invention is to so arrange this clamping means that it will securely hold the papers contained by it, so as not to interfere with the recording of the entries thereon, and will loosen its grasp upon the papers while any predetermined number are being removed or replaced.

In carrying out the invention I employ base or bottom board of any ordinary size or shape and articulatingly connect to its top surface a substantially U-shaped clamp arranged to lie upon the topmost sheet and engage it where it will not interfere with the entries. The ends of the sides of this U- shaped clamp terminate in double cranks, which are engaged by leaf-springs attached to the top surface of the bottom or base board and so positioned as to prevent the lateral displacement of the papers held by the clamp.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of the letter or bill file, showing the clamp positioned to hold the papers. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the clamp positioned to release them.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the specification and drawings.

a represents the bottom or base board, which is preferably of any of the standard sizes and shape at present in use, and mounted upon this bottom or base board a are a series of letter-sheets or bills 5, held in position by a substantially U-shaped clamp 0, consisting of two parallel side pieces (Z and a cross-piece e at right angles to and integral with the side pieces to lie upon the sheets I) when in its clamping position. The clamp 0 is made of a width to correspond to the letter-sheets or hills which the file is to hold, so that the side pieces may be at the sides of the letter-sheets, with the cross-piece e lying upon the marginal line separating the entries of the sales or purchases from the particulars of the parties making them. Projecting upwardly at right angles from the ends of the side pieces d are double cranks f, having upturned ends g engaged by the tension-springs 7L, fastened to the bottom or base board a to hold the clamp o with sufficient pressure upon the lettersheets or bills 6 to maintain them in position upon the bottom or base board. To release the letter-sheets or bills 6, the cross-piece e is raised and the clamp is turned into the position shown in Fig. 2 to enable it to form a close contact with the top surface of the bottom or base board, which is provided with apertures i to receive the projecting ends g of the clamp when in this position.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A letter or bill file consisting of a bottom or base board, a substantially U-shaped clamp articulatingly connected thereto, the free ends of which are bent outwardly and cranked and leaf-springs connected to the top surface of the bottom or base board to engage the cranked side of the clamp.

2. A letter or bill file consisting of a botl the cranked ends of the clamp when turned tom or base board, a substantially U-shaped to release the letter-sheet or bill. clamp articulatingly connected thereofltlo, thg Toronto, May 18, 1904. free ends of Which are bent outWar y an cranked, leaf-springs connected to the top l LOBLAW' surface of the bottom or base board to engage the cranked ends of the clamp, and the bot- In presence of tom or base board having apertures to receive l C. H. RIoHEs. 

